


Cursebound

by Ritsy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: All Haikyuu Characters, Alternate Universe, CurseWork AU, KageHina - Freeform, M/M, Magic of sorts, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-03 06:09:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15813018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ritsy/pseuds/Ritsy
Summary: Hinata Shouyou lives in a world of magic and mistrust, where Curse Workers live in anonymity and bare hands are seen to be as deadly as an assault rifle. At 19, he makes the worst mistake of his short life, putting a target on his back, throwing himself into a life of crime and running from those who seek to use him. Luck would have it for Kageyama Tobio, a Worker in The Syndicate, to come to his rescue and take him under his wing. With intensive training, a budding friendship, and the constant fear of a figurative dagger hanging above his head, Shouyou never seems to catch a break. There's only so many places in Tokyo, Japan, to hide from the most fearsome of the three crime families, and with them hot on his trail, he's given no room to trip up. They're willing to go to any lengths to get what they want from him, and time is tightening its noose on his freedom. How long can Kageyama keep Hinata safe from the consequences of his mistakes? Will their friendship endure and become something more... or will it shatter at their feet?





	1. Frayed Gloves

**Author's Note:**

> I have returned, with an ill-advised new story that I am impulsively posting the first chapter of. I intended to get most of the story written before I posted any chapters, but I really want to share this with you all and get feedback. This is my very first (published) Haikyuu fanfiction. Not only is it Haikyuu, but I've taken inspiration from The Curse Workers Series by Holly Black. If you haven't read it, you should, because it's fucking good. However, you don't have to read it to read this, as all it has to do with the series is the concept of Curse Work. I've taken bits of the lore and adapted it to suit my own needs, but apart from the concept there is no other relation to Curse Work. It's not so much a cross-over as... well, I guess it kind of is? Just with no characters whatsoever from HB's books. I'm crediting Holly Black because Curse Work is her beautiful brainchild and everyone should know it. All rights reserved, disclaimer, and all that needs to be said to credit rightful owners.
> 
> I'm apologizing now if this story is confusing at all. I'm going to be explaining things in detail to the best of my ability throughout the story (but I won't just vomit it all up in the first chapter because that would be an overload). I promise to try and make this interesting and make it make sense. Also, apologies for any and all typos or sentences that may not make sense. This is not beta'd and its barely edited (I just fixed all the words underlined in red).
> 
> Thank you, dear readers, for giving this story a chance. Please enjoy, I hope you like it as much as I'm enjoying writing it.
> 
> Oh, and I'm sorry if the summary sucks or if it's too wordy. I tried really hard to make it nice.

_Fear._

Shouyou knew fear like an old friend; it had kept close to him nearly all of his life, sticking in the back of his mind and never dislodging. Sometimes it held close, gripping onto the heart in his chest and squeezing painfully tight, though it mostly stayed in the background, always there, always known, but keeping its distance. Most people hated to be scared, and Shouyou typically shared this mindset with the populace. But this innate  _fear_  was different than all of the normal, little ones that most people knew.  _Fear_  kept him safe. At least, as safe as he could be, being what he was. And Shouyou was content with that. He could live with this constant, living emotion coiling inside of him. So long as he stayed hidden from starving eyes and greedy hands.

This time, unfortunately, it came too little, too late. He wasn't safe, not anymore. And it was all his own fault...

When Hinata Shouyou was 6 years old,  _fear_  bloomed. He could still remember everything is such violent, vivid detail. He could never forget the day that had changed his life forever. His mother had been setting down food on the table with her blatantly bare hands, a snack she had made for just the two of them. His father had still been at work. Shouyou had ceaseless energy; he ran around the living room, flying off of the couch laughter dancing on his tongue. All he had known then was happiness. It all came crashing down around him so very easily. None of the Hinatas ever wore gloves at home; they may be a requirement out in the public, where society feared bare hands more than any gun, but at home in the family of non-workers, gloves were stripped away. Bare hands were normal. Only small portions of the population were curse workers, over 40% of them being Luck Workers. And with a long ancestry of non-workers on both sides of his mother and father's families, there was no fear that any of their children would ever have such terrifying magic.

Illusions were very easily shattered; anyone could be a worker. While it was true that typically it seemed to run in families, with workers more often than not producing worker offspring, it wasn't impossible for a worker to show up in a long line of generations without magic.

And Hinata Shouyou was the rarest of them all.

He'd tripped over his own feet, fell stumbling off of the couch and careening towards a stand, which a heavy vase sat upon. His tiny body slammed into it with enough force that the vase began to topple over. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion for him at that point. He could see the vase, coming down over the edge of the stand, directly towards his head. Throwing up his arms to protect himself, one of his hands instinctively reached out towards it. Eyes squeezed shut and bracing for impact, he didn't notice that when his fingers brushed against cool ceramic, the vase changed. He had been too panicked to think, but after several long moments with no pain, he finally came to his senses. Lowering his arms carefully, he opened his brown eyes and saw, all around him were... feathers. He looked all around in confusion, wondering what could have happened, and where all of the feathers came from, but upon closer inspections, he realised that they bore the same designs painted into the vase.

"Oh Shou,  _no_ ," came his mother's distressed voice. She had seen the whole thing. Fear gripped her heart when she looked down at her poor, tiny little child. Not only was her son a curse worker, but he was a Transformation Worker. She watched on in horror as the Blowback overtook his tiny body.

Shouyou was scared. He tried to move, tried to stand, but his legs had become gnarled roots, twisting around uselessly. His voice came out as the panicked twittering of a bird when he tried to call for help. Over and over again his body changed, without him being able to control himself. His mother grabbed onto him after falling to her knees, and tugged him over to rest half in her lap.

"Oh, baby, my sweetheart, it's okay. I'm here, it'll be over soon. Hush, my child," she soothed, but he could hear the  _fear_  in her voice, even though he no longer had eyes to see it with.

It seemed to take forever, but it had only been a few minutes, when the Blowback finally stopped. Tears streamed from his eyes, and he weakly pushed his way out of her lap to vomit on the floor. He had never felt so drained before; all of his boundless energy had been sapped right from his body.

"I-I'm sorry... I ruined the vase," he whispered, his voice coming out hoarse and scratchy, like he'd been screaming for hours.

"It's okay, Shou, but, promise me. Promise me you'll  _never_ do that again. It's dangerous."

He had promised, and from that point forth, he was never allowed to take off his gloves at home again. His parents had explained to him as best as they could that it wasn't because he was bad, but because it was dangerous for him. He had to keep it a secret that he was a Transformation worker, because there were bad people out there that would lock him up and use them for their own purposes. It was to protect him, and that was the only reason why he had to keep his gloves on.

That's what they had said, but he knew that it was also because they feared him. Shouyou feared himself, too.

As he got older, he learned more about the world, about Curse Work and how the government culled worker children to "work" for their cause, but really they were slaves. It wasn't much better if you got picked up by a crime family, either. Sure, if you weren't special like Shouyou was, you might have more of a free will allying yourself with the mob, but in his case... He would have been a prisoner, in either scenario. Locked away in a cage like some animal, kept to do their bidding. He didn't want that. So his gloves stayed on, and he never transformed anything ever again. He was always careful.

And he knew that it was his fault when his parents began to watch his little sister, Natsu, with fear in their eyes. She looked so much like him, so what if she also turned out to be a curse worker? Natsu hated gloves, cried when they were shoved onto her, but she wasn't allowed to go without them, either. All because of him being "special".

Shouyou knew he wasn't really special; he was bad. After all, they called it Curse Work for a reason.

 

* * *

 

 

"Crap, it's frayed." Hinata studied his gloved right hand, noticed the tips had been scraped away enough to let skin peek out. His mother was not going to be happy. He knew he was an extremely clumsy person; he tripped all of the time, scraping his knees. Sometimes he'd be lucky enough to catch himself with his hands and lessen the damage, his gloves a barrier of protection in a more practical sense. He must have done it so much that he'd worn right through the tips. He even noticed a little hole in the palm. With a sigh, he dropped his hand and shoved it into his pocket. He would have to pick up new gloves tomorrow; this was his last pair, and he didn't have any spares at home. Maybe he wouldn't even tell his mom, because what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. It would even save him the pain of being stared at with fear, like he was some sort of monster. You'd think he'd be used to it by now, that it wouldn't hurt to be looked at like he would hurt her.

The stares had only gotten worse since his father had passed away, leaving her alone to parent two children; one a monster, and the other one with the potential to be bad, just like him. Her eyes only seemed to hurt more as time passed.

Shouyou continued his walk home, fear his only companion, as he stared up at the late afternoon sky. The colors were so pretty that it made happiness bloom in his chest, and a joyful smile tugged at his lips. It was a beautiful fall day, and the leaves crunched underfoot as he began to walk with a skip in his step, purposefully seeking out the driest looking leaves. It was a short trip, and all too soon he was home.

He looked up at the apartment building, spotting the balcony of his family's flat. He could vaguely make out that the lights were on, so he took a deep, steadying breath, and hardened his heart. With a smile glued to his face, he took the stairs two at a time and then skidded to a halt in front of their door. He opened it and stepped inside, calling out that he was home while kneeling down to remove his shoes.

"Sho-chan!" His little sister called out, giving him his only warning to brace for impact. Natsu jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Missed you, Sho-chan."

He chuckled warmly, returning her hug. "I missed you too, Nacchan."

Staying balanced, he finished pulling his shoes off and set them aside, straightening up and carrying her into the small living room. His mother passed by him, heading into the kitchen. She barely passed him a glance, but he ignored that, smiling down to his sister as she prattled on about her day.

"I'm working the night shift again, Shouyou. I'm going to make dinner for you both, and then I'll be leaving."

"Okay mom, thank you."

She began moving around the kitchen, the sounds of pots and pans being pushed across the counter-tops filling the air. He sat comfortably with Natsu in his lap, watching her current favorite show on the television without really paying attention to it. The fridge slammed, and he tensed up in surprise, turning his head to look into the kitchen.

 "I forgot to get milk and rice. Shouyou, run to the store for me," his mother called, sounding older than her years, shoulders slumped tiredly.

"Sure thing, mom. I'll be back soon." He displaced Natsu from his lap, kissed her cheek, and told her he wouldn't be gone long when she started to pout. "We'll have a sleepover in my room tonight, okay? So be good for mom."

He left her cheering on the couch, slipping his feet into his shoes with ease. Knowing there would be a chill in the evening air, he snagged a jacket and pulled it over his shoulders. Shouyou walked at a brisk pace down the street; because fall was in full swing, it was getting darker much earlier in the day, and already the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. He slowed his pace, enjoying the cool bite to his skin, the pink and orange hues bleeding across the sky. It was beautiful, and calming, and none of the fear in his heart could ever taint the sunset.

The convenience store wasn't too far from his house, just a couple of blocks away, so he didn't feel the need to rush. Knowing how his mother's schedule usually worked, she wouldn't be leaving the house until around midnight. Once she got home from work at 9am, Shouyou would have Natsu dressed and ready, and would drop her off at kindergarten while his mother retired to bed. She'd be up again at midday to go pick up Natsu, bring her by to the neighbors to have them babysit her, and then she would go in to her part time job for a couple of hours before she came home to cook them dinner and leave for her night job. She was a busy woman, raising two kids all on her own, and money was pretty tight. Shouyou had even picked up a job when he had still been in high school to try and make the burden lighter on his mother, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about spending any money on him. Even now that he had graduated, he was working full time, never resting a day. He could provide for himself. It was the least he could do for her, since he was a monster in her child's skin.

The bell to the store trilled when he pushed the door open, and he walked inside, humming softly to himself. He turned down an aisle and headed to the back of the store, bee-lining right to where the milk was kept. He picked up a jug, and then made his way leisurely a couple of aisles over, scanning over the many different types of rice the store had to offer. Shouyou decided to treat his family; he would pay for everything and not ask for a dime back, and he'd get the really good, more expensive rice. After he snagged the bag, his feet carried him back up to the front of the store and to the check-out counter. The cashier looked bored out of her mind, and kept glancing at the clock with desperation; he assumed her shift must be ending soon. He set his purchases onto the surface and offered her a bright smile.

"Is this going to be it for you?" she asked softly, giving a small smile of her own as she began ringing up the items with gloved hands.

"Yes," he said, but then he caught a glimpse of a pair of gloves. He  _did_  need new ones, and he liked the look of these slim black leather ones. "Well, actually..." He grasped onto the gloves and set them on the counter for her to ring up. And with one more moment of indecision, he snagged a candy bar for Natsu. "That should be everything," he announced with a sheepish smile and a blush.

The cashier rang him up, and he paid for his items while she double bagged the milk and put all the other items into a separate bag. He thanked her, wished her a good night, and headed out, leaving the bell ringing behind him.

He'd taken a little longer than he had meant to, as the sun had long been set, and darkness had consumed the world. The streetlights did little to help, and he figured he should take a detour home to get there faster. That had been his first mistake.

It was darker down the alleyways, the streetlights not quite reaching into their depths, but Hinata wasn't scared in the least. In fact, he started whistling, a spring in his step. He was imaging coming home with the really good rice, fantasizing about making his mother give him any other expression than fear. Maybe even a smile. He knew Natsu would squeal in happiness to get the candy bar. All he really wanted was to make their lives easier.

The sickening sound of snapping bone stopped him cold in his tracks, his voice dying in his throat. He whipped his head around toward the direction of the sound, fear coiling its frigid hands around his gut and squeezing. Down an intersecting alley, deep in the dark, Shouyou could vaguely make out three people standing rather close together. Someone wretched, vomit spilling onto the damp asphalt, and his whole body trembled. He should go, he should run, he needed to leave.

 _Run_ , he screamed at himself, but his feet stood rooted to the spot, his heart pounding a mile a minute. He couldn't move; fear had seized him too tightly: his second mistake. Moonlight cascaded down into the alley as a cloud moved out of its way, and he saw with clarity a bare hand reaching down to a heap—a person, he realised—and pressing into the flesh of his cheek. Seconds later, he heard three horrid pops, joints being popped out of place forcibly. The man on the ground released a choked groan of pain, more vomit spilling from his lips.

Finally,  _finally_ , sense seemed to return to his body, and he carefully took a silent step back—and bumped right into someone's chest. Gloved hands gripped onto him tightly, and he tried to wrench himself free with a terrified whimper. The bags he carried dropped, the milk spilling out over the ground from the impact. He watched numbly as white bled over black, spreading slowly, deeper into the alley.

"Well look what we have here," the slimy voice hissed into his ear, and his body shuddered in repulsion. "A middle schooler out past curfew. A shame you've seen too much. You should have just kept walking by without looking, kid."

The man dragged him deeper into the alley to where the groteque scene was taking place, three heads turning to look in their direction as he fought as hard as he could to break free. He was scared, but he still had a sharp tongue and lacked the fear to use it.

"I'm not a middle schooler, you fucking prick! Let go of me!  _Let go!_ " A hand came down over his mouth, silencing his words and muffling his voice.

"Did you find a spy, Daisho?" One of the men asked, his head cocking to the side.

"No, nothing like that. This little boy was just in the wrong place, wrong time," he cooed, making Hinata tense and fight even harder to escape.

"Should I hurt him to make sure?" The one with the bare hand stepped forward threateningly, outstretching his arm. Hinata kicked out at him wildly, adrenaline and fear coursing through his body.

"There's no need for that, Kuguri," the man named Daisho stated calmly, but his words had a tone of finality to them.

"You're not gonna erase his memory and let him go, are you?" Kuguri sounded disappointed at that thought, and Hinata stilled momentarily, hopeful and yet sickened at the thought of being worked.

Daisho laughed humorlessly, and it chilled Hinata's blood. "Of course not. We're gonna kill him. Simple and easy."

Shouyou panicked blindly, biting down as hard as he could on the gloved hand over his mouth, in order to cause pain through the thick leather. Daisho cursed and slammed his tiny body into the wall. It knocked the wind out of him, and his vision blurred as he tried to draw breath through the ache. Daisho brought his face in close, and sneered viciously.

"That was a mistake on your part. I'm gonna make this hurt," he threatened, pulling a gun out of a holster hidden in his jacket.

With the gun aimed at him and the reality that he was staring death in the face, Hinata reached out instinctively. His final mistake was letting instinct take over; it would have been better to have died in the alley. He shoved his fingers through the torn fabric of the tips of his gloves and grabbed hard onto the barrel; he didn't think, he just  _felt_. He felt that the gun was malleable in his hold, that he could make it anything, and his body reacted. Before his eyes, the gun changed shape, shifting into a small bear trap. He yanked his hand back just as it snapped onto Daisho's fingers, ripping through his gloves and drawing out blood. The man howled in pain and rage, momentarily releasing his hold on Hinata.

Seeing his chance, he fled as fast as he could, ducking around the corner and leaving the four men in confusion—but he didn't get far. Blowback rattled his bones, made him ache as his legs became useless fins. His fingers curled into talons, then hooves, and he fell heavily onto the asphalt. He was going to die here, suffering through blowback. Or they were going to look at him like a gift and lock him away. If he had eyes to cry with, he would have felt tears burning at them. He wanted to scream in agony, but his voice came out like the whistling of a tea kettle.

"He's still near! Find him!" He heard Kuguri call out, heard feet slapping, and he tried to force himself into silence.

Not that it really mattered; he had only made it an alley over, and he couldn't move himself. His body was shifting too much, changing from shape to shape. It hadn't been a big transformation, so the Blowback should be ending soon... just, not soon enough.

Hands were on him, and he tried to fight, tried to scream. They pulled him through a doorway, into a dark, stuffy, abandoned room. The door fell shut silently behind them.

"Be quiet," a gruff voice commanded softly close to his ear. "Unless you want them to find us."

He did everything he could to keep himself quiet. A large gloved hand fell over his lips. He'd begun shifting less and less, the Blowback nearly worked out of his system. He tensed up when footsteps pounded through the alley and past the door, the smallest of whimpers rising in his throat.

"Quiet," the voice said again, just a huff of breath released against his ear. "You're okay, you're safe."

But the truth was, he wasn't safe, and he never would be again. Those four men were definitely criminals, and had a high chance of working for a crime family. News of him would get back to whoever they worked for, and they would hunt him out, until they got their grasps on him. The alley may have been dark, but Daisho had been so close to his face; he was sure that the man would remember what he looked like, especially after he'd caused such an injury.

With Blowback worked out of his system, his skin broke out in a cold sweat, and his body was exhausted from it. He tore away from his rescuer to vomit onto the dingy wood floor, trying to keep his retching as silent as possible. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he couldn't stop them from flowing. He sniffled as silently as he could, not wanting to alert the man who'd saved him from being found.

"Thank you," he whimpered softly. "But I'm only safe for now."

The man was quiet, observing him and mulling his words over. "What's your name?" He asked, and it gave Hinata a start. He hesitated, unsure if he should be so willing to give his name. But, what did it really matter, now? He wouldn't be safe, ever again. The whole world would know his name, so there wasn't any damage he could do by telling this stranger.

"Hinata... Hinata Shouyou," he spoke slowly, unsurely.

"Hinata," the gruff voice repeated, testing it out. "I'm Kageyama."

"Thanks, Kageyama," he said gratefully, giving him the best smile he could muster. "You don't have to bother with me anymore. I'm sure you've got places to be, and I really don't want you to get caught up in trouble because of a stranger."

Kageyama was once again staring at him, but Hinata couldn't really make out any features. His eyes glinted in the dimness, but there wasn't a way for him to figure out the color.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I... I don't know," Hinata whispered, his voice cracking pitifully. He knew he couldn't go home. Maybe to warn his mother and sister, to get them to leave and go into hiding, but he couldn't stay there. "I don't have anywhere to go. I can't go home. I mean, I need to warn my mom and Natsu, but... They'll find me, won't they." It wasn't a question, but Kageyama nodded nonetheless.

"I'm guessing you being found out isn't ideal for you, and neither would be this, but..." Kageyama trailed off, running a gloved hand through his hair awkwardly. "Look, don't be scared or anything, but I'm a member of Kuraikage. I wasn't here on accident, I was supposed to save the man they were torturing. He's one of ours, and those men were Osoroshi snakes." He said the name distastefully, hate bleeding into his words.

Shouyou stayed quiet, absorbing this information. Kageyama, the man who had saved him, was in the fabled Kuraikage Syndicate, one of the three crime families that ruled over the country. And the men he'd exposed himself to were from the most feared and loathsome gang. If only he could melt into the ground and disappear. He'd never be safe again, Osoroshi would have no trouble hunting him out. They were numerous,  _everywhere_. He was completely fucked.

"Come back with me."

The words pulled Shouyou out of his musings, and he jolted in shock. "W-What?"

Kageyama cleared his throat, feeling awkward but still determined. "Come back to the Syndicate with me. You'll be safer there. Our leaders will see to that."

"So you can lock me in a cage and use my Transformation Work against my will? I don't think so," Hinata nearly growled, bristling at the suggestion. What, he was expected to willingly give himself up to be locked away? Over his dead body.

"Wha— no, what the fuck gave you that idea?" Kageyama scowled in irritation. That was some kind of stupid assumption Hinata just snarled at him, and it made him angry. The Syndicate weren't like that at all. "Daichi will employ you, but he won't hold you against your will. We may be criminals, but we're not monsters." He was affronted at such a suggestion.

Hinata slumped, all the anger leaving his body. "Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that..." He doubted Kuraikage men were as monstrous as he was, anyway.

"It's fine," his apology was waved off, before a gloved hand came to rest on his shoulder. "You don't have anywhere else to go, and we'll keep you safe. You'll have a roof over your head, food in your stomach, and a team to work with who will make sure you're safe."

It wasn't the most ideal situation, but Kageyama was right. What choice did he really have? The Syndicate might not lock him up like an animal, but he had no doubt that Osoroshi  _would._

"...Okay." He agreed, softly. "Can we tell my family first? And—oh," he paused, recalling something Kageyama had mentioned earlier. "What about that man you were here to rescue?"

"Thanks to your distraction, my team was able to retrieve him. He's safe."

Hinata smiled in relief. "Good, good. I'm glad."

They made a plan to wait at least 10 more minutes before sneaking out of the abandoned building and escaping from the alleyways. Hinata wouldn't have much time to warn his family or gather belongings, but it would have to do. He didn't want to put them in jeopardy, and if they got a head start, they'd be gone before Osoroshi located his flat. The two men ran silently together, Kageyama following Hinata's lead. Soon enough they were outside of his apartment complex, and he led the taller male up onto the second floor. He opened the door and beckoned him inside, both of them keeping their shoes on.

"Mom," he called, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Shouyou, what took you so long?" His mother voice rang with annoyance, and when she rounded the corner, she froze in her tracks, her mouth falling slack at the stranger behind her son. Her eyes fell to his face, confusion etching it. "What's going on?"

"Mom," he choked on a sob, swallowing it down as his eyes watered. "Get Natsu, pack a bag, and  _run._ "

"What happened?!" Her face went pale as she took a step forward unsteadily, but stopped short when she saw the tattered glove on Shouyou's hand, his fingertips poked through. She took in his appearance, how scuffed up he looked, how drained, and pale. Sweat glistened over his forehead. "Oh, no," she moaned in agony, fear washing over her all over again.

"I... saw something I shouldn't have. And I did... I broke my promise, mom. I'm sorry," his chest trembled with held back sobs, his voice shaky as he tried to force calm.

A hand pressed heavily onto his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Hinata," Kageyama murmured. "We need to hurry... and so do they."

Hinata nodded and shook himself, smacking his hands against his cheeks. "You have to hurry, mom, and get somewhere safe." He pulled out his wallet and completely emptied it of cash, pushing it into her hands with his fully gloved one. "You need this more than I will. I'm really sorry for this, I didn't want this to happen."

He walked past her, leaving her shell-shocked in the entry hall, and Kageyama followed close at his back. He led the way to his room, quickly moving around it. He grabbed a duffel bag and started shoving clothes into it, anything he thought he would need.

"Leave your phone," Kageyama commanded gruffly, and he complied easily.

Once he was mostly packed up, he started to zip the bag shut, and a small body slammed into his side.

"Shou-chan, don't leave," his little sister cried, clinging onto him like she never wanted to let go.

"It's okay, Nacchan, it's not forever. I'll see you again soon, okay? But I have to go. And so do you. Mom is gonna take you somewhere fun for a few days, okay? Promise me you'll be a good girl, Natsu."

She sobbed, squeezing him as tightly as her little arms could, and she nodded. "Okay, big brother. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," he murmured, kissing her forehead and hugging her tightly, before prying her off and standing up.

He walked out of his bedroom, glancing up at Kageyama through watering, blurred eyes. "I'm ready," he lied, gripping onto his bag. He would never be ready.

"There's a car outside, waiting for us," was the only reply he got.

They stepped past the threshold of the apartment, and Shouyou didn't look back as his heart shattered. Kageyama led him to the car, pulling open the passenger door for him. He slid inside and buckled in before curling into himself, gripping his legs to his chest. The taller male climbed into the driver's seat and started the car, and soon they were speeding down the street and making their way into the city.

Shouyou broke down and cried, until his tears dried up and his head pounded painfully behind his eyes, and exhaustion claimed him.

 

* * *

 

His body was swaying, and there was a warmth radiating against the side of his body. He snuggled his face deeper into the warmth, a small noise rising in his throat as he tried to fight waking. A heartbeat thrummed slowly right next to his ear, and he realised he was being carried in someone's arms. Confusion circled his drowsy brain, and he forced his eyes open. He made another small sound, trying to voice his confusion to the person carrying him.

"Shh, go back to sleep, Hinata. I'm just carrying you in, okay?" A deep, gruff voice, close to his ear.

Memories filtered back into his mind of the night's horrible events, and he hid his face in the leather of Kageyama's jacket, his heart wrenching painfully. Tears soaked into the cotton of the other man's shirt, and he clung onto him for dear life, taking comfort in his solid form. His body was shifted, and he was settled onto a soft bed, and with dread he realised he was going to be left alone. To his surprise and utter relief, though, Kageyama didn't move away from him. He desperately needed comfort, and the other man held him awkwardly, not quite sure what to do with his hands. It soothed him anyway.

Kageyama was not what you'd call the cuddly, comforting type. He didn't really know how to deal with other people, he wasn't nice, he was brash and abrasive, but that didn't mean he didn't  _try._  Right now, he knew that Hinata was devastated and lonely, and his whole life was crumbling around him. He wasn't like Kageyama Tobio, who'd had no family, until Kuraikage took him in. He wasn't raised in a life of crime, and this must have been painful for him, to lose something that meant so much to him. What a bad trade off, he thought.

His big hands rubbed Shouyou's back and hair as gently as he could, trying to calm him without words—which weren't his strong suit. Eventually, he stopped crying and drifted back into sleep. Once Kageyama was confident that he wouldn't wake if he moved, he stood up from the bed and walked into another room. He pulled out his phone, knowing he needed to report this to his leaders as soon as possible.

Dialing a number and holding it to his ear, he waited patiently while it rang. After 5 rings, the call was clicked through, and a throaty voice spoke.

 _"Hello?"_  The phone distorted the voice slightly, making it come through staticky and a little tinny.

"Suga-san, get Daichi on the line, as well."

After a confirmation and the sound of shuffling, both men were in on the line, presumably having put the call on speaker.

 _"What is it, Kageyama? What happened tonight? We expected to see you back when they brought in Inuoka."_  Daichi's tone was slightly scolding, but it was only because he was worried and obviously didn't know what the hell had went on.

"That's... what I wanted to report on." Kageyama leaned against the doorframe, looking back through the dimness at Hinata's sleeping form. He sighed, and mentally prepared himself for this. "I don't know how or where to start, so I guess I'll just say it: I found a Transformation Worker."

 _"What?!"_  Suga choked out, disbelief etched into his voice.  _"That's nearly unheard of. How?"_

 _"Are you sure?"_  Daichi asked. They had spoken at the same time, and Kageyama tensed up at the seriousness of the situation.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I saw what he did, I  _saw_  the Blowback. You know Nohebi were there, torturing Inuoka. This kid just happened to stumble by. He heard them, and seemed to freeze up. I couldn't really do anything but watch from where I was. Their leader, Daisho, grabbed him. They were going to kill him, but I guess his gloves were frayed and he just shoved his fingers through, turned his gun into a beartrap, and  _ran._ "

 _"Shit,"_  Suga breathed, sounding astounded and completely absorbed in the story.

"Obviously he didn't get far, with Blowback. I grabbed him, and we hid. That gave Nekoma the chance to move in and get Inuoka out of there without it coming to a fight. They were completely distracted and consumed with finding him."

Daichi's tone was grave when he spoke.  _"I'd bet my kidney that word has spread all throughout Osoroshi's factions and made it's way back to Ushijima. They're going to tear all of Japan up looking for this kid."_

Kageyama nodded in agreement, looking back at Hinata, feeling dread coil in his stomach. "I'm bringing him in. He's at my apartment right now, sleeping. He agreed to join us. I told him we'd keep him safe."

 _"Of course we will,"_  Suga agreed, his voice taking on that protective, parenting tone.  _"What's his name?"_

"Hinata Shouyou. He looks like a middle schooler, but I'm pretty sure he's older than that. He's really small."

Suga and Daichi chuckled, and the dark haired male spoke again, his tone a lot lighter than before.  _"I'm glad he agreed to join our ranks. It's not everyday a Transformation Worker falls into your lap like that. He's incredibly rare."_

"I'm aware of that, yeah. He seemed to think we were going to shove him in a cage for being what he was."

Suga gasped, and Kageyama pictured him clutching at his heart as he did so.  _"Did you tell him we'd never do such a thing?"_

"Obviously."

The sound of distressed whimpers gave Kageyama pause, and he turned back toward his bedroom. Hinata was thrashing, tangling up in the sheets in his sleep. Without thinking he walked straight over to his bed, dropping the phone onto it as he brought a hand up into the untamed, wild locks of hair. They were ungodly soft.

"Shh, hey, it's okay," he murmured softly, not wanting to wake the boy, but hoping to coax him back into an easy sleep. "You're okay." A small whine slid out of Hinata's throat, but his limbs stilled and his body lost its tension. "You're not alone; you're safe."

Tiny fingers curled into his shirt, as if to hold him in place, but Hinata was soundly asleep again. Kageyama huffed in slight amusement and exasperation. He reached his free hand down to pick up his cell once more and brought it to his ear.

"Suga-san, Daichi-san, I'm going to go now. I'll bring him around tomorrow," he whispered as softly as he could, not wanting to wake the boy up after all the soothing he had done. It would have been a waste.

The grey-haired man chuckled, his tone coy.  _"Oh? I've never heard you speak so sweetly to someone."_

_"Don't mind, Kageyama. You know he's just teasing. We'll see you tomorrow."_

They exchanged goodbyes, and Kageyama leaned back in the bed, depositing the phone onto the nightstand. He took the time to study Hinata's features from the soft moonlight filtering in through his window. His hair was wild, sticking out in every which way, but it was surprising how silken it felt. His nose was thin and upturned almost cutely, and his cheeks held a slight roundness to them. His chin came to a gentle point at the bottom of his heart-shaped face, and his lips were slightly full and parted in sleep. Long lashes dusted over his cheeks, fluttering as he dreamed. He really did look like a little kid; tiny, short, slim. He was at least 2 and a half heads shorter than Kageyama was, and he wasn't sure how old he was, but that really didn't seem right. Maybe he  _was_  a middle schooler. His thin, slim fingers twisted in his shirt, and the other hand was fisted and shoved up under his cheek. He'd have to make it a point to ask how old he was. Currently, he was assuming twelve, based solely on his extremely youthful appearance.

The next morning came entirely too soon, with Kageyama having gotten barely any sleep; he'd been too busy monitoring the sleeping boy and his apartment complex. He doubted that Osoroshi would have traced Hinata back to him that fast, considering they didn't even know that he had been there, but one could never be too careful. The small boy stirred, his eyes slowly lifting and drooping groggily, and he groaned loudly. He dragged bare hands over his eyes, rubbing away the sleep—and then froze in shock. He wasn't wearing gloves. He  _always_  had them on, except when he showered. So where?

The events of last night all rushed over him, and he sat up swiftly, taking in his surroundings. He was in a strange apartment, in a very comfortable bed, laying next to...

 _Oh_ , he thought. He looked down at the body next to his. This must have been Kageyama. With everything that had happened last night, he'd never gotten a good look at the man; he'd really not had the chance to. They had been rushing around, and tears had been blinding his eyes, and he'd been trying to look at nothing so he...  _Wow._

Kageyama was  _attractive_. Not that Hinata wanted to jump his bones or anything, but wow. His eyes were closed, most likely in sleep, and his face was angular, sharp. His jawline could have cut someone, and his cheekbones were regally high. His nose was slim and perfectly proportional to his face, and his lips were on the thinner side, but they suited him. There wasn't a single thing that was ugly about him. Inky black hair fell over his forehead, the longest point resting on the bridge of his nose. His brows were relaxed, and he looked so peaceful.

At least, until he woke up. As soon as Kageyama began to rouse from sleep, his brows pinched together and seemed to stay that way. His face rested in a natural scowl, which really didn't look bad on him either. When his eyes opened, Hinata couldn't help but stare into them. They were a swirling storm of deep blues, tempestuous in nature. He'd never seen anyone Japanese with eyes like that. Maybe he was mixed.

Blinking away residual sleep, Kageyama looked up slowly at the smaller male that was studying him in silence, and finally got a good look at his eyes. They were so brown, such a light and golden shade; it was like the sun had pooled into his irises, and they were so large and round. And then he saw the freckles. They were light, but spattered all the way across his nose and cheekbones, decorating his skin delicately. They were nothing like he'd seen before; the only other person he'd met with freckles was Yamaguchi, and his were dark and stood out even in a lack of light.

Shouyou came to his senses and looked away bashfully, his cheeks tinting pink. He was embarrassed to have been caught staring, but it didn't seem like Kageyama gave a shit. His tall counterpart merely sat up, rubbed the back of his head, and slid out of bed. He peeked back up, taking in the way a few strands of his hair stuck out in a very tame bedhead. It definitely had nothing on Shouyou's hair, which was somehow even more wild than it had been the day before.

Kageyama yawned, cracking his back as he headed toward a door. "Take a shower, if you want. I'm gonna make breakfast, and then we'll head out. Towels are in the bathroom cabinet." He pointed over his shoulder to the door across the room, where Shouyou assumed the bathroom was located.

"Thanks," he murmured softly, before climbing off the bed and heading over to it.

He wasn't long in the shower, not wanting to use up all of the hot water, or impose too much on Kageyama's hospitality. He was in and out, but still made sure to be thoroughly clean. He pulled joggers out of his duffelbag, along with boxers and a hoodie, and quickly dressed himself. He put on a pair of socks, and then zipped up the bag and set it back out in the bedroom. Hesitantly, he moved out into the living room, and then followed the scent of bacon into the kitchen. Kageyama's apartment was really nice, much nicer than his flat was. The place was spacious, but it wasn't really homey. The furniture was sparse, and the decorations were all rather modern.

A plate was set down on the kitchen island, the clink of ceramic on marble pulling him from his thoughts, and he watched Kageyama gesture to the plate. He had to practically climb the barstool, but he did so with dignity, and sat on the plush cushion. Kageyama joined him momentarily with his own plate.

After taking a few bites, Hinata glanced over from the corner of his eye. "Thank you. You really didn't need to do all of this, and I promise I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it," Kageyama said gruffly, embarrassedly. The tips of his ears turned red, and he shoved bacon into his mouth. "You don't owe me."

"Well, I feel like I do. So I'm gonna pay you back." There was no arguing with the determination burning in his eyes, but the taller still tried.

"Don't be a dumbass. Save your money. I'm telling you that you don't owe me."

Hinata huffed at the insult, puffing out his cheeks, and pouted as he returned to eating.

His counterpart watched him measuredly, cocking his head slightly to the side. "How old are you?"

The ginger hummed, turning his head back and taking his time to chew and swallow. "I'm 19. How old are you?"

"23. You really don't look nineteen."

Entirely affronted, Hinata sputtered, his cheeks taking on a splotchy redness. "That's  _rude_ , Bakageyama."

He watched his scowl deepen with satisfaction, but flinched when he was flicked on the forehead. "Don't go giving people stupid nicknames all on your own."

It would have continued on, but Kageyama's phone rang, and he quickly stood up from the table to go answer it. He trailed back out into the kitchen with the phone cradled between his shoulder and ear, already mid-conversation.

"—leaving shortly. I'm assuming you've already had a new car dropped."

Hinata listened to the one-sided conversation with curiosity, trying to figure out what was being said on the other line. He finished off his food, stealing a piece of bacon off of Kageyama's plate—only to get swatted on the back of his head. He stuck his tongue out and made a show of eating it.

The other man rolled his eyes. "I've gotta go before I starve. See you soon."

He snatched his plate away and scarfed down his food, depositing the diningware into the dish washer before heading off to his room to change. In no time at all, they were in the new car, driving through many twists and turns to get to their destination. When they'd gotten inside, Kageyama tossed a pair of his gloves at the tiny male. There was no way they'd truly fit, but it was better than nothing, and he felt far more comfortable with himself when wearing gloves. Hinata could have sworn that Kageyama was doubling back and taking a convoluted route to make sure they weren't being tailed—which, in all honesty, he probably was. After an hour of driving, he pulled up to a large building, and eased the car into a parking garage. He found a spot, parked, and turned the car off.

"Let's go," was all he said as he pulled Hinata's door open.

The smaller boy was nervous. He hadn't really had a true choice in the matter, but Kageyama hadn't  _forced_  him here; he gave him the option. And that alone was very comforting, but it still had been drilled into his head that no matter who got their hands on him, the results would be the same. Servitude with no free will, locked away. His hands found purchase in the back of his counterpart's leather jacket as he pressed in close. They stepped up to an elevator that Kageyama had to scan a card and then type in a long password in order to enable. Once inside, he pressed a button for the top floor, and the elevator shot up, moving faster than any other that Hinata had ever been on before. It made him slightly lightheaded and a little nauseous when they finally eased to a stop. Making sure to keep close to the taller male, he walked down a hallway lined with doors, before they stopped at the one on the end.

The place looked like an office building, surprisingly enough. He almost expected to see businessmen bustling around the space. Kageyama knocked sharply on the door, and Hinata tensed up, gripping tighter to him and pressing his chest into his arm. His body was practically thrumming with nervous energy, and the older man could feel it pouring off of him. He brought a gloved hand up to run comfortingly through the orange locks, making a small noise in his throat. It seemed to help, and when the door was finally pulled open from the inside, he wasn't trembling much anymore.

"Kageyama, welcome back." A man with grey hair and chocolate eyes looked warmly down at Hinata. The tinier male half-hid behind his counterpart, utilizing their vast difference in sizes. The stranger had a beauty mark beneath his eye, and he really was pretty. He didn't  _look_  like he belonged in a gang, which was strange. He supposed you really couldn't judge a book by its cover.

The man gestured them inside, and Hinata had no choice but to follow, considering he was still clinging tightly to Kageyama. Once the door was shut, he glanced nervously around the room, taking in the large table, the nice chairs, the other man sitting at the center of it all. He was much more muscular and intimidating than the one who'd answered the door, and his hair was dark brown and short. He looked a little more like Hinata would have expected from a criminal, but not by much.

"Welcome to Kuraikage Syndicate headquarters. I'm Sawamura Daichi, and that's Sugawara Koushi. We're the heads of this family; we run it together."

"It's nice to meet you," Sugawara piped in, his throaty voice warm and sweet.

"N-nice to meet you, too. I'm Hinata Shouyou..." He stepped out from behind Kageyama so that they could get a better look at him, but he didn't stray from his side. It didn't seem to bother any of them, least of all the one who'd saved him.

"I've heard that you're a Transformation Worker. Were you in hiding?" Daichi asked, keeping his voice pleasant and calm. He didn't want to scare the boy any more than he already had to be.

"Yeah... I found out accidentally when I was a kid, and my parents made me swear to never use it and keep it a secret. I didn't mean to, I was just scared." Hinata looked down shamefully, a pain in his heart. He'd proven to himself and his mother that he truly  _was_  a monster.

"It's okay," Suga soothed, stepping forward carefully to squeeze his shoulder with a gloved hand. "It's only natural to use what you've got in a time of crises. There's nothing wrong with having magic."

Hinata toyed with the too-large gloves on his hands, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I'm not magic, I'm a monster." His voice was soft, barely over a whisper, and Kageyama was the only one who heard his words. His jaw clenched, teeth nearly grinding together painfully at those words.

Changing the subject and taking the attention away from the smaller boy, he met Daichi's eyes. "Because I brought him here, I'd be willing to take him on as a partner and take him under my wing. I'll keep him safe."

The two men looked shocked, sharing a look, before looking back at Kageyama. " _You_... want a partner?"

"We thought you preferred to work alone?" Suga asked slowly, his eyes flicking back to Shouyou with renewed intrigue.

"Yeah, but, he's my responsibility. I promised to keep him safe, and  _I_  brought him into our world. It's only fair." Kageyama stood firm by his decision, his eyes flashing with determination. He felt the grateful press of tiny digits ghost against his forearm.

"Well... I don't see why not," Suga mused, turning to look at Daichi with an expression of puzzlement. The burlier man nodded his agreement, locking gazes with his co-leader, before he turned them once again onto Kageyama and the tiny Transformation Worker at his side.

"Very well; Hinata is in your care. I'll have Kiyoko email you about his training schedule. He'll need to be very well educated in our world and in self-defense."

With that, the two were dismissed, and they bowed before leaving. Once they'd left the room, he let out a little breath of anxiety.

"Thank you, again. I really owe you a lot."

Kageyama disagreed, but didn't argue. They fell into a companionable silence. The taller male wasn't too sure what made him reach out to Hinata, let alone offer to partner with him, but in the end it didn't really matter. He didn't care, he was just relieved to be able to keep a close eye on him and make sure that he remained safe. His phone notified him of an email, and he mused about how diligent Kiyoko was to have gotten it to him that fast. They had no obligation to stick around the office that day, and so they left.

 

* * *

 

 

"Would you like to go shopping?" Kageyama posed the question when they were settled back in the car, pulling out of the parking garage, and back out onto the road. It had started to rain, a light mist, though the clouds threatened a harsh downpour sooner or later. They covered the sky in a deep, dark haze, letting no sunlight peek through and giving the day an illusion of evening. They were swollen and ready to relieve their burden and drench the world below. He rather liked the gloomier weather, felt that it suited him more than the sun did, but it seemed to oppress Hinata. The younger boy looked like he thrived in the sunlight; the darkness made him paler, sicklier looking, and even tinier than he already was.

He'd drawn his legs up into his seat, ankles crossed and chin resting on his knees, and he was toying with the edge of a glove, tugging on it to make sure his hand stayed covered. The question took longer to process than it should have as his thoughts had been more directed inward, but he dragged his big brown eyes over to regard Kageyama. He drove with only one hand on the wheel, body poised with relaxation; the other hand rested on the gear shift, easing it between gears with a practiced ease. It never lurched once, and he had to wonder how long the other man had been driving stick.

After several moments of silence, he parted his lips and turned his gaze back to the windshield. "If you mean for yourself, I don't mind accompanying you. If you're asking about me, well... I don't have any money. I gave the last of it to my mother."

Kageyama shrugged. "You don't need money, I'm buying. You're not comfortable in my gloves, they don't fit you, and I doubt you packed enough clothes to last more than a few days. I'm sure you don't want to keep wearing the same ones over and over again."

"Really, you've done enough. I don't want to be a bother or impose on you any more than I'm already having to," Hinata hedged, his voice laced with guilt and anxiety.

The taller man gave an irritated growl in the back of his throat, flicking a glare over to his counterpart. "Shut the fuck up. You're not a bother, a nuisance, or anything of the sort, dumbass. You're not  _imposing_ , you don't owe me, I'm fucking  _offering._ " He huffed, annoyance clear in his sharp tone. "And you know what? I'm not giving you a choice. We're going shopping, you're trying shit on, and if you don't pick shit out,  _I will._  And you might not like my choices," he threatened.

To his surprise, Shouyou snorted, rolling his eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a bossy asshole? A caring, generous asshole, but still an asshole."

"Idiot," Kageyama groused, the tips of his ears flushing pink.

"Oh, did I embarrass you, Bakageyama?" Hinata trilled, a chuckle leaving him as he taunted his counterpart, livening up and losing his gloomy aura.

Kageyama shoved him playfully into the door before resting his hand back on the gear shift. "Shut up, dumbass."

"Ow! I'm suing you," Hinata shouted, sticking his tongue out immaturely.

They bickered back and forth for the rest of the drive, and by the time they made it to the mall, the rain was coming down tempestuously, thundering onto the roof of the car. Hinata pulled his hood over his hair, hiding his wild ginger locks in a feeble attempt to shield himself from the downpour he was soon to step out into. Kageyama turned the car off before leaning into the backseat, rustling around until he pulled out an umbrella.

It didn't protect either of them very well, but it was enough that they weren't entirely drenched by the time they entered the mall. He shook the water out of it and folded it up, holding it at his side as they began their trek. Hinata was all over the place, staring at displays in windows, straying towards different kiosks, following the scent of something particularly mouthwatering to a restaurant. It was like Kageyama was babysitting a child, and he mourned the lack of a leash he could've attached to Shouyou to keep him from getting lost in the crowd. He practically had to herd the little redhead into a clothing store, threatening bodily harm if he didn't obey.

They walked amongst the racks in the men's section, Kageyama making snide remarks about how they might find clothing better suited to Hinata's mentality and stature in the kiddie aisle. He was shut up by a swift kick to the shin, and a particularly adorable puffy-cheeked glare from the shorter boy. They browsed through shirts and perused the pants, Hinata instantly vetoing anything that was too expensive by his standards. Tobio ignored his protests, collecting articles of clothing he felt looked nice or would pair well together, making sure to reject anything that his counterpart fancied when it clashed with his bright hair.

"What kind of idiot wears a bright orange shirt when their  _hair_  is the same color, dumbass?"

"You're just jealous that my fashion sense is better."

"Why would I want the fashion sense of a two year old?"

" _Rude,_ Bakageyama."

"Truth hurts, cupcake."

"Shut the fuck up, asshole."

"I'd tell you to make me, but you'd need a ladder to reach that high."

" _RUDE!"_

Kageyama leaned down so that his lips brushed against the shell of Hinata's ear and deviously whispered, "Middle schooler," before sprinting down the aisle they were in and turning sharply around a corner.

Shouyou let out an indignant squawk, splotches of pink painting his pale, freckled cheeks, and he took off like a bat out of hell after the taller man, screaming a litany of  _"rude"_ ,  _"asshole"_ , and  _"Bakageyama!"_  He threw whatever he could get his hands on at his counterpart; shoes, hangers, and shirts went flying through the air. With accurate aim, he landed one shoe against the back of Tobio's head, freezing in his tracks when the taller man paused and wheeled around to face him. With a squeak, he took off back in the opposite direction, Kageyama tearing ass after him with a look of murder in his eyes. He was overtaken too easily, captured by long, muscular arms that trapped him back against a broad chest.

"No fair, cheater," he whined, trying to worm his way free while giggles poured from his lips. "You have longer legs than me." He was breathless from all the running and laughing, but he couldn't seem to stop himself; he was having too much fun.

Kageyama was letting out soft huffs of air, low chuckles reverberating in his chest. "It's very fair. I'm just utilizing my natural advantages to hunt down my dumbass prey."

"Stupid," Hinata wheezed, his sides aching from the force of his laughter.

A store employee came bustling over to scold them, and most likely kick them out, so Kageyama finally released his hold on Hinata and walked up to her. He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and slid it into her hand, bowing to her and promising that they'd behave themselves from then on out. Hinata watched curiously as she pocketed the money and nodded her head, warning them not to disturb the other patrons. After she walked off, the two went back to picking out clothes, and once Kageyama was satisfied with an entire cartful, they headed to the checkout to pay for them. The taller man made sure to stand in front of the register, blocking the price from Hinata's view. Once everything had been rung up, he didn't even allow the cashier to read off the price before he whipped out his black card and slid it easily through the reader.

With everything paid for and Kageyama carrying the majority of the bags, much to Hinata's dismay, they headed off to their next destination: the Glove Department. The store was decently-sized and filled to the brim with a huge array of gloves. They had them in every color, every material, for every type of occasion. They lined the walls and filled the aisles, and Kageyama was content to follow the little spitfire around while he searched through the vast selection.

Shouyou found a few pairs of slim black leather gloves that he liked, and he studied the fabric to make sure there weren't any frays or thin spots. Once satisfied, he turned towards Kageyama, opening his mouth to tell him he was done, but paused at the sight before him. His taller counterpart was studying a pair of racing gloves, the material a little thicker than ones for everyday use, but it was the color that really drew his attention. They were vibrant, the color of his hair, and the palms were inky black. Kageyama turned back to Hinata, reaching out to check the size on the tag of one of his pairs, before he switched the ones he was holding out for the proper size.

Hinata cocked his head to the side and raised a brow. "I thought you didn't like it if I wore things that matched my hair?"

A simple shrug met his question, and Kageyama simply said, "You'll look good with these."

"Oh." A moment of pause to let the words sink in, and an embarrassed flush. "I'm ready to check out."

As soon as they were purchased, Hinata ran into the nearest bathroom to peel off the pair of Kageyama's gloves to replace with his new ones. They fit much better, and he flexed his fingers and marvelled at the way they moved. The leather was so soft and comfortable, perhaps not the most breathable, but that was for the best. He exited the restroom and walked over to the taller man, handing him the borrowed pair, which he slipped into his pocket. Shouyou started complaining and whining about being hungry, so they stopped at the food court and ate. They hit a shoe store, got distracted by the pet shop display (courtesy of Hinata's love of puppies), and then finally called their shopping trip a success.

It was merely drizzling again when they walked out of the mall's entrance and entered the parking lot, and Kageyama didn't bother to open the umbrella as they darted towards the car. They loaded up the trunk and he unlocked and opened Shouyou's door to let him climb in, shutting it behind him. When he finally slid into the driver's seat, he gave himself a moment to relax. He really hated crowds, and there had been plenty of people roaming around the mall. However, he wasn't wound up as tightly as he normally was in public spaces, all thanks to the ball of energetic sunshine currently occupying the passenger seat. He'd made this trip actually enjoyable for Kageyama, and that was nearly unheard of. They drove in silence for a while, his counterpart staring out of his window while he focused on driving, before Hinata spoke up.

"Hey, Kageyama?" His voice was soft, a little unsure. He didn't turn his gaze from the window. The taller man gave a grunt of acknowledgement to show that he was listening. He didn't really feel the need to use his words. "Can you tell me your given name?"

Silence descended once again as he mulled the question over. He really didn't see an issue with it, and it would only be fair considering he knew Hinata's. "...Tobio," he muttered gruffly, his hand tightening on the steering wheel as they took a sharper turn, making sure they wouldn't hydroplane.

 _"Tobio,"_  Hinata repeated, almost reverently, testing out the name on his tongue. He turned and gave said man the brightest sunshine smile he had ever witnessed. "It suits you." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoy this first installment! Please, please leave comments, I cherish every single one of them, and I try to respond to as many as I can. I appreciate you all for reading this and giving it a chance. Thank you all for continued support. I love <3


	2. Burned In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost; here's the next chapter! I know it's shorter than the first, but I feel like this is a good thing. The first chapter was much more introductory, and I also needed a lot of shit to happen to get it to where it needed to be. This chapter contains a shit ton of information, and it's a lot to absorb. I really hope you all are enjoying reading this.
> 
>  
> 
> (For those of you that may have read this BEFORE I did this, I'm sorry for the confusion: I moved the end of the first chapter into the beginning of THIS chapter. I felt it flowed more smoothly and belonged with this chapter more. I'm not really writing this chapter by chapter, I'm writing it all in one document and breaking it up to post in chaptered segments. Sorry for the confusion!!!)

Kageyama woke to the sound of his phone ringing too close to his head. He let out an irritable, exhausted groan, his hand coming up to blindly search for the mobile device. The ringing blissfully stopped—only to start right back up again. Finally, his fingers curled around the damned thing, and he swiped on the screen to answer the call. Bringing it to his ear, he huffed an annoyed sigh.

"What."

 _"Hello to you, too Kageyama."_  It was Suga, his throaty voice containing amusement at the younger man's lack of social skills.

Waving away the pleasantries, Kageyama grumbled, rolling onto his stomach and smothering his face into his pillow, his voice coming out muffled. "What is it? I'm trying to sleep."

He was willing to bet that Suga was rolling his eyes in exasperation right about now.  _"This is important. Daichi wants you to burn Hinata in, and then bring him in for his training."_

"Right now?" Lifting his head up, he turned his gaze towards the somehow still sleeping Hinata. His entire body was sprawled out on the mattress-legs spread, arms thrown out or over his chest, head cocked—but he barely took up any space. He once again couldn't help but think about how tiny Shouyou was, still disbelieving that he was an adult. Shaking himself mentally, he brought his thoughts back to the current conversation. "Why does Daichi want me to burn him in right now? Doesn't that normally happen later on?"

_"Typically, yes. But, as you know, Hinata is a special case. We want to guarantee that our men will protect him by any means necessary and without hesitation. The best way to ensure that is to burn him in. He'll be one of us."_

"That's a little..." Kageyama hesitates, and then sighs. He lowers his voice even further, eyes watching Hinata's face to make sure he stays asleep. "You're not just telling me to do it now because of what he is, are you?"

Suga scoffs, but he can tell that his boss isn't truly offended.  _"Of course not. We'd never force someone into the Syndicate, you know that. It's just for his safety."_  A pause, and then a lowered tone, more commanding than before.  _"You're not going to disobey, are you?"_

"No, Suga-san. I'm not stupid. I always follow orders. I just wanted to be aware of the reasoning— _all_  of it." Sitting up and stretching his free arm over his head, he fought off a yawn. "Consider it done."

 _"Perfect,"_  Suga replies, sounding as satisfied as the cat who caught the canary.  _"His lessons with Shimizu start in 2 hours. Have it done before then."_

"Yes, sir."

After hanging up, Kageyama sighs loudly, rubbing at his eyes. He isn't sure how he's going to approach this particular subject with Hinata. His best bet would probably be to do it delicately.

Shouyou stirs at the sound of the sigh, his eyes slowly blinking open. Kageyama's broad shoulders slowly come into focus, and he makes a small noise of distress in his throat. It feels like it's early, so  _why_  is he awake right now? Tempted to roll onto his stomach and bury himself in blankets and pillows to go back to sleep, Hinata contemplates how long he'll be allowed to do so. Kageyama turns to look at him, having heard him shuffling and whining and regards him with storm-filled eyes.

"Hinata," he says, in his typical low, gruff voice.

"Whaaaaaat," the younger male whines, cracking his eyelids into slits to glare at his counterpart. "Kageya _maaaa_ ," he stresses the last syllable, trying to convey his hatred of being up early.

A huff leaves the taller man's lips, almost sounding like an amused chuckle. Gloved fingers wrap around slender ankles and tug harshly, dragging the small body away from the pillows and blankets and drawing a pathetic  _'nooo'_  from tiny lips.

"You need to wake up, you have training soon."

The little ginger whines and mutters expletives under his breath, rolling onto his back and attempting to kick Kageyama in the chest to try and displace him from the bed. "Don't wanna. Let go."

"What are you, five?" Kageyama snorts, and Hinata lets out an indignant squawk.

"Take that back,  _Bakageyama_." He frees his ankles and sits up suddenly, before launching himself at the other man. "Rude!"

They both fall to the floor in a tangle of limbs, a grunt leaving Kageyama on impact. He grumbles about having to babysit a  _child_ , trying to disentangle himself from the smaller body. When they finally separate themselves, Hinata sits up, crossing his legs and hooking his arms underneath his thighs.

Kageyama looks over at him, his expression pensive as he regards his counterpart. He doesn't know how to bring this up, or how Hinata will react. It'll probably be bad. There's no way this will go well.

"Do you need the bathroom or something?" Hinata asks, scrunching up his nose in curiosity, his head cocking to the side. "You're making a weird face, Yamayama."

Kageyama splutters in shock, the tips of his ears going pink, and then he grimaces. "Stop giving me weird nicknames. And no, I don't need to take a shit. Jesus, do you have a filter?"

Hinata sticks out his tongue, poking Kageyama with his bare toes. "Pot, kettle. You're one to talk about filters." A moment of silence, before Hinata scoots closer, leaning towards the taller male, his brown eyes dancing with curiosity. "So, if you don't have to shit, why the weird face?"

Hesitation bleeds from Kageyama, and he sits up slowly, his gloved hand coming up to run along a scar behind his right ear. "Hinata... there's this...  _thing_ , we do in the Syndicate. It's like an initiation into the family when you first join."

"Thing? What thing?" His head cocks again, and he doesn't look scared or aprehensive; just intrigued. It comforts Kageyama enough for him to continue.

"We have to be... burned in. All of us do. In the same spot," he trails off, his eyes never leaving the cherubic freckled face, not wanting to miss a single flicker of emotion.

"Oh... Okay. How do you burn someone in?" Hinata scoots even closer, tilting his head up to fully regard his counterpart because of their extreme height difference. "Where is it done? What does it look like? Do you have one?"

"One question at a time, dumbass. There's only one of me." Kageyama watches the little spitfire puff his cheeks out in annoyance, but his mouth stays dutifully shut. "We all have a ring with the family crest on it. We're all also given a ring that represents what faction we're in. For example, I'm in Karasuno, so my second ring is a crow." Kageyama peels his gloves off of his hands slowly, watching the color leave Hinata's cheeks.

It takes a few moments, but Hinata relaxes again; he knows that Kageyama isn't going to hurt him, he just feels...  _apprehensive_  when he sees bare hands, especially his own. Once color starts to return to his cheeks, Tobio deems it okay to continue.

Removing the rings from his fingers, he holds them out to Hinata, waiting for him to take them. Once he does, he begins looking them over, studying the designs. They aren't too intricate in design, but he still finds them beautiful. "This one is the family 'crest'. It's just a fancy KS to show that we're affiliated with Kuraikage Syndicate. The other one," he points at the ring in Hinata's right hand, and brown irises focus on it. "That's the crow. Karasuno are all referred to as Corvids."

"Okay, so..." a pause, and Shouyou rolls his bottom lip between his teeth while he thinks, before he releases it. "That'll make me a Corvid too, right? Since we're partners?" He looks up to meet Tobio's gaze for confirmation.

He nods once. "That's correct." Turning his head to the side, Kageyama presses his fingers onto his ear and folds it over itself, making sure that his counterpart has full view of his brands. He nearly jumps in shock when tiny, cold-tipped fingers run lightly over the raised skin; he hadn't realised Hinata had taken his gloves off, as well. Tobio was glad that he felt comfortable enough around him to bare his hands.

"Does it hurt?" Shouyou's voice is small, soft, but it doesn't hold any fear. He must have mistaken the slight twitch of surprise for pain.

"It does when you first get it, and while it's healing. I don't even feel them anymore, though." Tobio lets go of his ear when Hinata finishes inspecting the brands. "I have to heat them with a lighter to get them hot enough to brand you. And then I hold them against the skin behind your ear long enough to ensure that it'll scar."

Hinata goes quiet, settling into himself while he thinks everything over. If everyone in the Syndicate had to go through this before, then he supposed that he should be able to manage just fine, too. Doing it probably gave everyone a sense of solidarity, of family.

"I understand if you're nervous, but—"

"Okay," Hinata says softly, cutting Kageyama off.

"Okay?"

He looks up, chocolate irises meeting stormy blue, and his expression sets with determination. "Okay. I trust you."

After staring, searching Hinata's eyes for any doubts or reservation and finding none, Kageyama stands up, striding over to his nightstand. He pulls open a drawer, digging through it until he finds a lighter. Once it's secured in his grasp, he walks back over to Hinata, dropping down behind him. He instructs his counterpart to hold down his ear and to remain as still and as calm as possible. Flicking the lighter to life, he holds it just beneath the design of the first ring, watching it slowly heat up. Once it's glowing red-hot, Kageyama lets the flame die, sets the lighter on the carpet, then uses his now free hand to pin Hinata's orange locks out of the way.

"Deep breath in," he murmurs as soothingly as he can, and when his counterpart does as instructed, he presses the metal just behind his ear. He holds it there for ten seconds, but it feels like forever to Hinata. His tiny body tenses up, trembling from the searing of his flesh, but he tries to hold as still as possible.

"Fuck," he whines softly, his eyes pricking with tears from the awful sensation.

When the ring finally pulls away from his skin, he gasps, his shoulders shaking. He knows another one will be coming soon, and he does his best to get himself under control and calm. He can do this; he's strong enough to withstand something so small. After all, the Blowback he's been through twice before was far worse.

"You're doing great," Kageyama praises, his voice gruff but soft. "Just once more, and we're done. We won't have to do it ever again."

Hinata made a soft noise in his throat, half-distressed but not wanting to chicken out now. He kept his body still and his hand on his ear, holding it with stiff fingers. Kageyama repeated the action of heating up the second ring and pressing it into the tender skin, just below the previous brand. Shouyou stops breathing, his teeth grinding in an attempt to smother a pained whine. Once the ring is finally pulled away from his skin, he sags forward, releasing his ear. He blinks his big brown eyes, trying to clear them of the excess moisture, and pays little attention to Kageyama retreating into the bathroom.

When Kageyama comes back, its with a first-aid kit. He sanitizes the fresh wounds, applies a burn cream to soothe them, and carefully overlays a bandage to keep them protected. "We'll have to be sure to change the bandage and clean these regularly."

Shouyou turns—wincing from the sting it causes to his brands—and regards Tobio with still-watering eyes. But he smiles his thousand watt grin, and gives the taller male a thumbs up. "That wasn't so bad."

Blue eyes widen slightly, before he shakes his head with a chuckle, and gently ruffles orange locks. "Stupid. Let's get ready and go to your training."

Hinata dressed quickly; he was in and out of the bathroom in a matter of moments, wearing black joggers, a mint green tank top, and a fuzzy emerald sweater, all courtesy of Kageyama. He already had his gloves back in place, and he heard the taller boy mumble something about cereal in the kitchen before heading into the bathroom himself. Shouyou padded off silently, his bare feet sinking into the plush carpet as he made his way through the living room and into the kitchen. Unsure of where everything was, he began opening and closing cabinets, rummaging through drawers, and digging into the pantry in his search for all the necessities that cereal required. After acquiring a bowl, spoon, and a box of chocolate puffs, he grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge, and began assembling his breakfast.

With everything neatly put away, he scrambled up onto the island counter, crossing his legs and holding the bowl near his chest. He began shoveling away hungrily, stuffing his face with the chocolatey goodness and crunching loudly. Shouyou didn't have a care in the world, too lost in his happy munching to notice Kageyama freezing in his tracks at the entrance of the kitchen. The older man had caught sight of the ball of sunshine sitting  _on top_  of his counter. After getting over his shock, he resumed striding forward across the tile, flicking Hinata in the temple as he passes.

"There are stools for a reason, dumbass."

An indignant squawk, followed by an adorable huff, Hinata turns to glare with puffed out cheeks, face going splotchy. "It's more comfortable here, Bakageyama."

"I'll take your word for it," Kageyama grumbles, rolling his eyes.

After getting his own bowl of cereal, he joins Hinata at the counter; however, he sits on a stool like a  _normal_ person. They eat in a companionable almost-silence, exchanging barbs and insults every so often. Once his bowl is empty, Shouyou hops down from his perch, landing lightly on his feet, and Tobio glances over, scanning him from head to toe. As he turns to head over to the sink, his taller counterpart's voice freezes him in his tracks.

"Those clothes look good on you."

Embarrassment and shock war inside of Shouyou, and his face goes all splotchy as he shoots a look over his shoulder. "Yeah, well... I guess your fashion sense doesn't suck that badly." He sticks out his tongue and then rushes over to the sink, busying himself with scrubbing his bowl clean.

It wasn't like he was shy or something stupid like that, he just wasn't used to compliments on his appearance; especially from stupid(ly attractive) people like Kageyama. He shook himself mentally, banishing all the weird flustered emotions. He wasn't going to let himself be embarrassed by something like that again. It was only because Shouyou wasn't conventionally attractive: he was short, thin, pale and freckled, and his hair was wild, untameable, and orange. Not the most appealing set of characteristics. That's all there was to it; hell, Tobio wasn't even complimenting  _him_ , just his own fashion sense. So there was no reason to be flustered or embarrassed.

He set the dishes in the drying rack, then leaned back against the counter so that Kageyama could clean his own. Once that was done, they headed for the door to make their way to HQ. This time around Tobio took a much more direct route, explaining that he had only gone out of his way the day prior to take a convoluted route out of the fear of being tailed.

"We can assume with confidence that Osoroshi isn't aware that you're with us just yet, so it's safe to say we can just head straight there."

Hinata nodded along, relief washing over him. He was still as safe as he could be; and hopefully, he'd stay that way. It only took 20 minutes for them to arrive at the imposing building, and once again they pulled into the parking garage. Kageyama led them over to the elevator, and after they both filed inside, he hit the button for floor 15.

"Why aren't we going to the top floor?" Shouyou asked, his head cocking to the side in curiosity.

"That's basically Suga-san and Daichi's floor of operation; we only go up there for serious issues, or if they call on us. Today you're going through training."

Through pestering Kageyama with questions, he learned that the 15th floor contained two large gyms, several rooms that served as classrooms, and an arena for hand-to-hand combat training. They also had state-of-the-art shooting ranges, but those were on basement levels below the structure.

"I get to learn to shoot a gun?!" Hinata squawked with excitement, his brown eyes wide open and glittering. He leaned forward on his toes, pushing himself into Kageyama's personal space.

Tobio pushed his gloved hand into Shouyou's face, grimacing as he lightly shoves him away. "No fucking way." The elevator dings, and the doors open to their floor, and he throws a glance back over his shoulder as he starts heading off. "...not today, at least."

A squeal leaves the ball of sunshine's lips, a bright smile on his face. "That's so  _cool._  Do you know how to use a gun, Yamayama?"

"Don't call me that," the taller male grumbles, his face pinched into a scowl. "And we all do. We try to limit the amount of cursework we use. We can't afford for too much of the team to be laid up with Blowback."

"That makes sense," Shouyou nodded, a shudder running through his body as he recalled just how Blowback felt for him. A moment's pause, and then, "Sooo... what exactly are we doing then?"

"A little less hands on than firearms." Kageyama stated, leading the way down the hall. They stopped outside of a door, and he raised his hand to knock firmly on it, the sound dulled by the leather of his gloves.

Shouyou stood nervously next to his taller counterpart, anxiously bouncing from foot to foot as he waited. Mere moments later, the door was pulled open from the inside, and one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen stepped into view. Long, silky black hair fell over her shoulders, framing a pale, sloping jawline, and soft, dark slate eyes framed by thick lashes settled on his face. A pair of glasses rested against her elegant nose, and she adjusted them slightly with a gloved hand. She was taller than him, and rather slim, her tiny waist pinching into a delicate hourglass. A beauty mark sat just below her mouth to the left, which turned up into a soft, welcoming smile.

Bowing her head demurely, she spoke with a very pleasing, gentle tone. "Hello, I'm Kiyoko Shimizu. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hinata froze up momentarily, his face splotching unevenly with five shades of red and pink, and he tripped over his tongue, entirely flustered. "A-ah, I'm-it's nice to meet you. I'm Hinata Shouyou." He bowed deeply, his hands pressed straight against his sides, before he whipped his head back up. His bow was nothing compared to her elegant tilt of the head, his lacking any form of grace, and he kept his eyes glued to her shoulder. He was much too intimidated by her beauty to actually look her in the eye.

"Please, come in, Hinata-kun. We have much to cover today, and not much time to do so."

He only managed to nod in response, straightening fully out of his bow, and following her into the large room. She moved to sit at an oak table, gesturing for him to take the seat across from her, and he sat stiffly, his blush finally fading. When he noticed that Kageyama had not followed them inside, he whipped his head around to stare at him pleadingly with wide doe eyes.

Tobio met his expectant gaze with reserved blue eyes, and then bowed respectfully to Kiyoko. "I'll return shortly. I have some business to attend to for Suga-san."

Hinata made a distressed little whine in his throat, but quickly swallowed it and nodded; he couldn't hold Kageyama back from his work just because he was intimidated and didn't want to be left to fend on his own.

"I'll be back before your lesson ends, dumbass," Kageyama murmured gruffly, shutting the door behind him as he left.

Slowly Shouyou turned his head back to regard Kiyoko; she seemed nice enough, very reserved in nature, and it once again struck him that he shouldn't judge books by their covers. She didn't strike him as being someone affiliated with a crime family, but that was a judgment he needed to stop holding onto. He couldn't keep picturing buff thugs with scars, tattoos and sunglasses, or impeccably dressed men with cold expressions and dead eyes. The fact of the matter was that anyone in this world could be part of something that didn't fit the aura that they projected. Some people were better at keeping their secret lives under wraps.

"All right, first thing's first, Hinata-kun," Kiyoko spoke, breaking the silence and pulling him out of his thoughts. "I would like for you to tell me everything that you know about Curse Work," she prompted, watching him with kind eyes.

"Well..." he paused to gather his thoughts. Nerves bubbled in his stomach; they never really focused on it too much in school as it was a more taboo subject. Typically Curse Workers were viewed as volatile criminals, brushed under the rug by normal society. "Curse Work is possible because of the presence of some...  _thingy_ , HBG I think it's called, in a person's body. It can run in families, which is pretty common, but... that doesn't mean that a worker can't come from a non-worker family." His words cut off abruptly as pain seared through his heart, and he mentally shook himself to push those thoughts away.

He licked his lips to wet them before continuing. "It's considered to be magic, and only a small percentage of the human population possess it. Blowback is like instant karma that a user experiences when they work someone or something. And all that's needed to work someone is to have physical, skin to skin contact, which is why it's mandatory to wear gloves outside of the house. Um."

"Very good," Shimizu smiled in acknowledgement of his words, giving a small nod. She noticed that he was a bit lost being put on the spot like that, so she decided to help him along by asking another question. "Please tell me the types of Curse Work and how many there are."

Shouyou leaned his ribcage against the edge of the table, drawing his legs up into his chair to cross them and gripping onto his ankles with gloved fingers. "Oh, okay. Well, there's seven different kinds: Luck, Dream, Physical, Emotion, Memory, Death, and... Transformation." His tone dropped off at the last, wincing in discomfort at speaking his type aloud.

"And Blowback?" She prompted again. A pen was gripped in her hand, and she elegantly jotted down notes as he spoke. He guessed that she was probably recording his feeble knowledge to further assess.

"There's different kinds for each type of curse, and they're all negative," he stated confidently, finally bringing his eyes up to her face.

Smiling again, she tilted her head to the side and tucked her hair behind her ear. "A very common misconception, but that is not quite the case."

"What do you mean?" he asked, voice coated in confusion. How could that not be the case? You used the magic and you got bad side effects as a result; it was common knowledge.

"Allow me to explain: most HBG-positive people use their magic in a negative manner, thus resulting in an equal trade-off of bad karma. For example, if I were to curse you with bad luck for a day, I would also endure the same for an equivalent amount of time. So anything that could go wrong during my daily routine, would. However, were I to fill you with good luck, my Blowback would return to me in kind, and bless me with the same for that exact duration of time." She paused to let Hinata absorb the information, her eyes studying his face as understanding bloomed across it. "Only Memory, Emotion, and Death Work result in negative Blowback each and every time it is used."

His brow furrowed at her last statement, befuddlement once again returning. "Why is that? Shouldn't it work the same?"

A pleased expression took hold of her features, and she met his eyes, glad to see him engaged in their lesson. "There is no such thing as positive emotional manipulation, memory tampering, or, for lack of a better word, murder. Therefore, using Emotion work results in mental and emotional instability and violent mood swings; the more it is used, the worse it become, and the effects are unfortunately permanent. With Memory, the user may block, remove, or alter the mind of the person being worked, but in turn it strips their own consciousness, leading to irrepairable short- and long-term memory loss in the Worker. Smaller curses take less, while the opposite can be said for a more thorough curse.

"And as for Death, the Blowback rots away at the Curse Workers body. A luckier man may only lose a finger, or a toe. It could affect something much more vital, even on the first use, like the lungs or heart. A particularly unlucky Death Worker could end up as dead as the person that they cursed on their very first use of the magic. These three Curses are a dangerous thing, and must only be used sparingly, if ever used at all. Their Blowback is permanent, and often results in horrifying consequences," Shimizu concluded, her face having taken on a more serious look.

"I never knew any of that. Hell, I'm sure that there's a lot more I don't know," Hinata shook his head, looking down at the smooth surface of the table in front of him. He traced along the grain with the tip of his finger, looking a bit sheepish. "School didn't ever really touch on it in depth, and my parent's weren't Workers, so..." He trailed off, his eyes following the pattern of the wood.

"That is quite all right, Hinata-kun. This is what I'm here for: to educate." She gave him another warm smile.

As the lull in their conversation begins to sweep the room, the sound of the door unlatching with a click draws their attention, and Kageyama strides inside confidently, pushing it shut behind him. He makes his way over to the table, before pulling out the chair next to Shouyou and dropping into it. "Hope I'm not interrupting something important."

Kiyoko merely shakes her head, and Hinata beams a relieved smile at the man next to him. The lesson continues when she clears her throat, drawing the attention back to her.

"I want to address something that is not common knowledge, but is incredibly important before we continue on." Her serious tone makes Hinata tense in his seat, and he leans forward giving her his undivided attention. "As is well known, Luck work is the most common Curse, and Transformation is the most rare; there tends to be only one or two every generation. However, there is something that is even more unheard of than Transformation. It is exceedingly atypical." At this, Kageyama seems to stiffen, but Hinata doesn't even spare him a glance, too absorbed in what Kiyoko is saying.

"What is it?" He asks, his voice coated in barely contained curiosity and excitement.

"There are those in this world that possess more than one type of Curse Work. The public is kept largely unaware of this fact, and even the Government believes that they are a myth. The downside to these unfortunate people is that the more magic one possesses, the more volatile and unstable that individual is. A Worker with two may be able to get a handle on themselves and control it, but more often than not they burn out and self-destruct. When you throw a third Curse into the mix..." Kiyoko hesitated, her voice grim, and her expression tight. "The individual becomes... unhinged. They are extremely dangerous, and must be handled extremely carefully, as one would a bomb. They seem to be unaware of the damage they are doing to their own body, or perhaps they don't particularly care."

"Holy shit," Hinata whispered, his eyes wide as saucers and the pit of his stomach filled with shards of ice. Fear ran it's chilled fingers down his spine, and he clutched at the edge of the table. He couldn't believe that something like that could even be real.

"I only tell you this because Osoroshi is far more dangerous than you already believe. They are known to employ such Workers, though we are lucky to have never had a run-in with one, at least that we know of. Their leader is a... collector, of sorts. Of the rare workers. They believe it makes them god-like."

Shouyou shivered at this information, and he felt his body lean towards Kageyama's large form, subconsciously seeking comfort from his partner. A large hand rested itself against his lower back firmly, and he felt the tension bleed from his muscles. Osoroshi had already been the scariest thing he had ever heard of, but now, with this new information... He couldn't even bear to think of it. Hinata was in deep shit.

"Let's move on," Kageyama announced, his voice gruff and tight, and Shouyou flicked his eyes over to him, a small grateful smile playing on his lips.

"A good idea," Shimizu mused, flipping the page in her notebook. "Let's discuss what makes us magic."

With the ball rolling in a much more pleasant direction, Hinata focused all of his energy and attention on retaining information. They spent quite a few hours going over it all, and he learned exactly what HBG was.

HBG stands for Hyperbathygammic, a condition in which causes a person to emit high frequency gamma waves constantly. A normal, non-worker would only emit such waves while awake or in the lightest REM sleep, though they were rather weak and at a much more subdued frequency. With a Worker, it wouldn't matter whether they were awake or in the deepest of sleep, the waves that they produced never wavered; they remained strong and sustained themselves permanently. Several medical personnel had been working on ways of testing for HBG, in order to register Workers and non-workers into the government's system. There was outrage all throughout many countries, and some even had riots about the unfairness of forcing their friends and neighbors to be labelled and treated as social pariahs. While the technology was still shaky at best, it was making strides in the medical field, and luckily it was not yet legal in any country to mandatorily test citizens for HBG.

Hinata's brain is starting to throb at all the technical information, and he winces slightly as he rubs at his temples. He never realised that magic could be so... scientific. His attention is brought back to Shimizu when she holds up a delicate necklace, decorated with seven different stones.

"Hinata-kun, do you know what these are?" When he shakes his head no, she continues to speak. "These are Charms. They can only be made out of natural stone, whether that be pebbles, gems, and other things of that nature. Metal, glass, and all other substances cannot be Charmed; they merely shatter, or in your case, transform into something new."

He nods his head slowly, trying to follow her words. "So... what are Charms for? And how do you make them?

"Excellent questions," Kiyoko praises with a tiny smile, adjusting her glasses on her nose. "Charms are meant to negate a Curse; you must wear one for every type there is. In order to make a Charm, a worker must put a curse on a stone, which absorbs it in it's entirety, Blowback and all. Thus it becomes a Charm of protection."

"Woahhh, that's really cool! Could I make a Charm?" Shouyou bounces in his seat, his face lighting up as he eyes the necklace in wonderment.

"You could; any Curse Worker can. The downside to Charms though, is that they are only one use. When someone tries to work you, the stone absorbs the Curse, and the magic resting within counteracts with the magic being placed, and it shatters the Charm. The stone will break. For example."

Shimizu removes one of her gloves, and presses her bare fingers against the necklace. She brushes along a yellow stone in particular, and adopts a look of concentration on her face. All of a sudden, a startling  _crack_  echoes off the walls, and the pebble falls uselessly onto the wooden table, broken into several pieces.

Hinata watches with wide eyes, his hand moving to pick up one of the pieces and studying it.

"I tried a simple Good Luck Curse on my Charm, and as you witnessed, it absorbed it and shattered. Were this on a person, they would have been protected from my Curse, but they would have to go out and get a new one to replace the one that was used. Do you understand."

He nodded his head erratically, looking back up at Shimizu with a wide sunshine grin. "That was really cool. I want to make Charms. I want to  _wear_  Charms!" He turned excitedly to Kageyama, latching onto his arms and vibrating with energy. "Can we get some? Huh, Yamayama? Pleaaaase!"

Tobio gave a long-suffering groan, rolling his eyes, before flicking them over to Shouyou's beaming face. "We can if you  _stop giving me stupid nicknames._ "

"Don't be a sourpuss," Hinata whined, pouting out his bottom lip. "Please, can we? Don't I need them too anyway?"

Grumbling in defeat, Kageyama nodded, elliciting a happy squeal from his tiny counterpart.

Kiyoko giggled softly, pressing her re-gloved hand over her lips to hide her amusement. "I think it's time we draw today's lesson to a close. I'm sure you two have plenty of things you need to get done today. I'll see you both next time."

"Thanks, Kiyoko-san! I had fun learning!" Hinata gave her another one of his warm, charming smiles, throwing his arms in the air. "There's so much I didn't know."

Kageyama rose to his feet, giving a small tug to ginger locks in order to gain Hinata's attention. "Come on, let's go. We have a few things to do before we can get you Charms."

The smaller male hopped out of his seat, bouncing with enthusiasm as he gave a quick wave to Kiyoko, before promptly following Kageyama out of the classroom. They started heading further down the hallway, approaching another door. Hinata was reaching for the handle when it burst open out of nowhere, startling a squeak out of him. Before he could scramble to hide behind Kageyama, a body impacted with his, gripping onto him tightly. Panic coursed through his veins and he tried his best to wiggle free, though he was unsuccessful in his attempts.

"Hey, Kageyama-kun, this the new guy?"

"Nishinoya-san, you're scaring him," Tobio growls, gripping onto the back of the "attackers" shirt and lifting him up and away from Shouyou. He sets the man back on his feet as he lets out a boisterous laugh.

Hinata can feel his heart pounding wildly in his chest, frantically trying to beat its way through his ribcage, and he clutches at his shirt as he tries to calm himself down. He turns his head slowly to look at his offender, surprised to see someone that's even shorter than he is, if only by a few inches. The man has fierce, dark brown eyes, and nearly black hair that is styled to spike up, with a shock of blond streaking through the front. His fists rest on his hips with his chest is puffed out, and a wide smirk shows off his straight white teeth.

"Sorry, sorry. The name's Nishinoya Yuu, but you can call me Noya," he states, thrusting a hand out towards Hinata, nearly jabbing him in the chest.

"It-it's okay. I'm Hinata. Shouyou," his words come out stiffly, his heart finally calming down to a normal pace, and he takes Noya's hand to shake cautiously. Soon enough, though, he is smiling right back; the man has an infectious cheerful energy.

"Hinata, Nishinoya-san is going to act as your personal trainer." Golden brown eyes flit up to Kageyama's face when he speaks, turning that thousand-watt smile onto the taller male.

"Okay, cool! Will you be training with me?" The hesitancy in Shouyou's voice is blatant as his smile dims, but there isn't anything he can do to put a tamper on it. He's still nervous, still fearful, and as likeable as the people he's met so far are, he only feels safest when Kageyama is near.

"Of course, dumbass. Physical training is something that we all have to keep up on." He reaches out his large hand and ruffles Hinata's hair, huffing slightly in annoyance. His words bring that sunshine smile back to full force, and something warm fills his chest. He thinks that it's probably relief.

"We won't be starting today, but I'll expect you two back here bright and early tomorrow," Noya announces, and Shouyou nods his head excitedly.

"We'll be here! I can't wait."

After exchanging goodbyes, they head back to the elevator, and Kageyama takes them up a couple more floors.

"Where are we going now?"

"I have a few more people to introduce you to today, and luckily, this is also where we will be able to pick up Charms for you." Kageyama glances down as Hinata squeals in excitement, his whole body vibrating with it.

The doors slide open with a  _ding_ , and Tobio once again takes the lead, striding down the hallway with Shouyou at his heels. They stop outside of a room labelled "Infirmary", and the taller of the two knocks softly. A gentle voice calls from the inside, allowing them entry, and so he pushes the door open, and gestures Hinata in.

The inside of the infirmary is decked out with state-of-the-art medical equipment; the walls are lined with hospital beds, with curtains in between to allow for privacy when they are occupied. There is a desk near the front of the room, where two young women sit together, leaning over a stack of papers. They cease whatever discussion they were having to turn and look at the two men, one looking calm and relaxed, the other just as nervous-looking as Shouyou feels.

"Hello," the calm woman states softly, her lips curled up into a smile. Shouyou thinks that she is very pretty; her chocolate hair is cut into a pixie, and her warm brown eyes are very inviting. "Are you Hinata Shouyou? I'm Michimiya Yui, and this is Yachi Hitoka." She gestures to the tiny blond currently shivering in her chair.

"Yes, I am! It's nice to meet you," Hinata bows quickly, before flying out of it and bounding over to the table. "Yachi-san, your barrette is very cute. My little sister Natsu would love it." He grasped onto her gloved hand, holding it in both of his own, and beamed down at her.

She flicked her caramel eyes up to regard his face, and her nerves seemed to dissipate as her own smile stretched her lips. "You really think so? I made it myself, out of Charms. I could make one for her if you'd like?"

"That would be awesome! Oh..." Shouyou tensed up, his face falling into an expression of repressed agony, and his heart ached at the realisation that he wasn't even sure if he would ever see Natsu again. Looks of concern wash over Michimiya and Yachi, but before they can question his sudden change, Kageyama steps forward and draws their attention.

"Daichi-san wanted him to meet you both, so you could explain your jobs to him," he states gruffly, coming to a stop at Shouyou's side.

His little counterpart subtlely reaches over to squeeze his hand lightly in thanks, and he leans into his side, trying to force his sorrow back down. He can dwell on it later, in private. Though melancholy still lingers in his eyes, he brings a smile back onto his lips, and turns to the two women with interest.

"Are you nurses? Doctors?"

Michimiya grins, leaning forward in her seat to rest her elbows onto the desk. "I suppose you could call us that. Although I think the term healers would be more apt."

"Healers? You can heal people!? I didn't know there was a Curse like that!" Hinata squawked in shock, leaning forward on his toes as his eyes widened impressively.

Yachi giggled, a wide smile on her lips. "Well, we call ourselves healers because we don't use our magic to cause pain."

"What do you mean?" Confusion etched Hinata's brow, furrowing it as his head cocked to the side.

Michimiya hummed lightly, leaning her chin onto her hand. "We're Physical Workers. Instead of using that in a negative manner, we use it to heal. Take for instance, Inuoka, the man you helped us rescue. He was brought here, with injuries inflicted by a Physical Worker, and we mended them with our own magic. He's already up and back on his feet."

Shouyou bounced up and down on his feet, squawking in disbelief. "That's so  _cool!_ "

"As a by-product, our Blowback is very positive. We hardly ever get sick; healing others is like healing ourselves," Yachi adds, a pink blush dusting her cheeks.

"Hitoka-chan, you're really cool! That's very impressive," Hinata crows, beaming at her.

"It-t's nothing, really," Yachi stutters over her words, flustered at the sudden praise and being called  _cool_.

They spend another thirty minutes in the infirmary, going through Charms so that Shouyou can pick the ones he wants to wear, and Hitoka expertly threading them into a necklace. He waves his goodbye enthusiastically, his other hand pressing against the necklace resting beneath his shirt, the coolness of the stone a comforting presence. He walks side by side with Kageyama, babbling about the people he met and all of the cool things that he learned, earning a few gruff insults in return. They made their way out to the car, climbing inside and playfully exchanging barbs, before pulling out of the parking garage. On their way home, they stop at a small diner for lunch.

Neither of them realise that they're being watched. From the moment they had stepped into the establishment, eyes were on them.

Sitting several tables away sits a man, holding a menu in his hands that he pretends to peruse. His eyes are locked on the two who are absorbed in their own little world, watching every little move they make. He studies them with a cold calculation; he's already recognized the Syndicate's little prodigy child, but the orange-haired boy is new. He's curious. The snakes lost out on their cat when they were distracted by a fabled Transformation Worker, and that meant it had been rescued by Kuraikage themselves. Going off of that assumption, as the man they had tortured had been far too broken to drag himself away, that meant they had been in the same area as the newly discovered worker.

The man pulled out his phone, dialing a number and waiting for it to connect. It rang three times, before the  _click_  notified him of it being answered. "Daisho, describe it for me."

A small pocket of hesitation, before the man on the other end realised just what he meant.  _"That shitty fucking Transformation worker? He's short, fiesty looking, and he's got this bright orange hair. Why do you ask?"_

A hum of pleasure from the man in the diner, his lips curling up into a wicked smirk. His voice drops a few octaves, and he speaks lowly, only to be heard through the phone's receiver. "Tell the Boss that he's lurking in the shadows."

_"...shit. They got to him first."_

"No matter, Daisho. We'll collect it for him."

 _"Don't do anything without receiving his orders first,"_  Daisho warns, although it is unnecessary.

Nobody in Osoroshi would dare defy their Boss, or even make a move that isn't calculated by him. They all valued their lives much more than that. The call ended, and the man chuckled to himself, his eyes locking onto the orange-haired boy, who looked no older than twelve. He memorised his features, his mannerisms, and a sick pleasure bloomed in his chest.

"There you are, little Transformation Worker," he muttered. He would be handsomely rewarded for his discovery.

A single text message made his phone chirp, and he looked down at the screen to slowly read the words.

_From: Boss_

_Tail them._

Handsomely rewarded, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me comments! I want to know your thoughts on this story, and in particular this chapter. I love comments, and I read them all. I try to respond to them all as well. Thank you for supporting Cursebound and myself by reading this. I love you guys.
> 
> Disclaimer: Some of the Lore featured in this chapter are of my own invention to suit my own needs while writing this story. It has nothing to do with Holly Black's original works, and is a part of this AU only.
> 
> And again, sorry for any confusion to those who read this before I edited it. I hope you continue to enjoy it.


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